Google is reportedly in talks with ByteDance and Facebook to bring videos from Instagram and TikTok to Google Search. The company aims to reach an agreement with the social media platforms to index their videos in the search engine. If the deal goes through, you will be able to search for Instagram and TikTok videos on Google Search using popular keywords.
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If you try to search for Instagram or TikTok videos on Google, you’ll only see re-uploads of videos published on YouTube or another third-party platform. But Google is aiming to change that. According to The Information, executives from the search giant are currently negotiating a deal with ByteDance and Facebook to get the data they need to index and rank videos from TikTok and Instagram in Search.
In a statement on the matter, a Google spokesperson told The Information that the company is always looking for new ways to organize information. “We help websites make their content discoverable and benefit from being found on Google and being able to choose how or if their content appears in Search,” the spokesperson added.
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It’s worth noting that last December, Google began testing a new feature that showed TikTok and Instagram videos in Google Search on mobile. The feature initially only showed YouTube videos, but it soon added videos from the other two platforms. The company is still testing the feature in multiple regions and may roll it out more widely if Google can reach a deal with ByteDance and Facebook. Google may also offer a similar feature in Search on desktop if things go according to plan.
While we don’t have details on the potential terms of the deal, it could be similar to the content sharing agreement that Google has with Twitter. Currently, the search giant pays Twitter a licensing fee to access and embed tweets in search results. However, we can’t be sure whether the company will opt for a similar deal with Facebook and ByteDance or not. If the deal goes through, the search integration would be beneficial for all parties involved – it would help Google deliver better results, drive more traffic and revenue to Instagram and TikTok, and help creators on the platforms gain greater visibility.
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Since all parties involved have not made any official statement regarding the upcoming deal that is rumored to take place, we cannot be sure if things will unfold as expected.
Information source: xda-developers.com
